It's April! Time to Get Planting!
It's April! Time to Get Planting! |
It is finally warming up out there. While early March was pretty cold, the end of the month saw the days getting warmer along with our traditional sunny day/rainy night pattern that can be common this time of year. However, with that weather change also comes wind. If you live on Maui or Hawaii Island, you probably saw the Lenticular clouds that form off the Mauna in High winds. Quite a sight. You will have to baby your plants a bit more in these conditions. I'll share a bit more on that down below. But first things first. What should we be planting this time of year? What You Should Be Doing GardenIf you haven't started your seeds yet, then what are you waiting for? In my garden, I have squash, tomatoes, papaya, peppers and cucumbers all volunteering for me right now. This tells me that it is a perfect time to plant. What should you plant?
These are just a few starters for you to think about. You can start a lot of these in pots, but in my opinion, there is no better way to start seeds than by direct sowing. Why direct sow? For one, it is less work. You don't have to buy any extra potting soil. You do not have to transplant. Best of all, your plants will thrive having grown up in the same spot for their whole lives. However, if you don't have the space, you can sow your seeds in pots to transplant later as room appears in the garden. If you don't already know what tropical plant varieties to choose for your garden, check out this video where I go over a few of my favorite. Get Your Trellising ReadyI don't know about you but I love vertical gardening. I build trellises all over the garden, for my lilikoi, vanilla, tomatoes and beans. I have a lot of beans that I am planning on growing out this year so I built this massive trellis that I hope will be covered in bean vines 2 months from now. You don't have to go as big as I did, sometimes a couple sticks tied together will do, or a wire tomato cage is all you need. But if you are limited on space, this is a great way to fit more in there. How To Protect Plants From WindWind can destroy your plants. If they are young and small enough, you can put a protective cover over them and water your plants often. Wind has a very drying effect. Long term, you should design windbreaks into your system. Windbreaks can make or break a property. It's A Great Time For HarvestingThis is one of my kids favorite months of the year because it's Mountain Apple Season!! The first Hawaiians to settle the islands brought this amazing food crop with them on their canoes, so you know it must be good. We also have plenty of other amazing fruits to harvest this month such as:
...and so much more. There is a great bounty this time of year in the garden. News From The HomesteadYou may have noticed that things have gone a little quiet for me this month. I have not released a new Youtube video in a while, nor have I added any new content to the blog in a while. Many things have been contributing to this absence with one of the main reasons being that I moved!! After 20 years on my little half acre homestead, my family and I are moving 15 miles down the road to be closer to Hilo. Closer to schools, beaches, surfing, you know the drill. But get this! We landed a house with 3 acres, just 1 mile outside of Hilo Town!! It was a deal too good to pass up. I'll miss my little home and garden that I built from the ground up, but now another family gets to raise their young children just as I was able to, and I still get to take care of the garden and make videos! But I also get to make videos at my new place too, where we are just getting started like many of you! I think there will be a lot of learning to come out of that. Besides that big change, the seed company I started has been growing and taking more of my time. I recently got an order for 1000 cassava cuttings. That's a BIG order to fill. But that's what I love to do, spread seeds, plants and knowledge so that we can all take back control in our lives and grow more of our own food. Are you looking for seeds or cuttings? Be sure to visit my store to see if there might be anything you'd be into planting.
Till Next Month. A Hui Hou!! |
Homesteadinʻ Hawaii
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